Department for Transport

Railways: Franchises

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of auctions to award rail franchises; and whether they intend to use the same process to award future franchises.

baroness sugg: The Williams Rail Review is looking at the current franchising system and considering how it can best support the public and private sector to work together, while delivering benefits for passengers, freight and taxpayers. The Department will publish a White Paper on the review’s recommendations, with the implementation of reforms planned to start from 2020. Whilst the Review is underway, we will continue to work closely with the industry to ensure that rail delivers the day-to-day performance and transformational improvements that passengers expect.

London-Exeter Railway Line

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of upgrading all of the railway line between Waterloo and Exeter to double track.

baroness sugg: Network Rail’s 2015 Wessex Route Study concluded that the forecast levels of growth between Salisbury and Exeter did not justify the need for additional sections of double track. Therefore, upgrading the single track sections of the line between London Waterloo and Exeter to double track is not a priority in the next Control Period (CP6). Further consideration may be given to this matter in Network Rail’s long term planning considerations for subsequent control periods.

Seaborne Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, before awardingSeaborne Freighta contract to provide additional shipping services to and from Ramsgate in the event of a no deal Brexit, they complied with the provisions of section 7 of the Government Functional Standards for General Grants Guidance that"all Government grants shall be subject to timely and proportionate due diligence and fraud risk assessment"; and whetherthey will place a copy of any contract due diligence report in the Library of the House.

baroness sugg: No grants have been made to Seaborne Freight, nor are there any plans to make any. Seaborne Freight has been contracted to provide ferry services and will only be paid for those services after they have been provided.

Ramsgate Port: Channel Ferries

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which ferries are planned to operate the Ramsgate–Ostend route from 30 March 2019; where and when they were built; whetherthey will conform to the latestMaritime and Coastguard Agencyregulations applicable to roll-on roll-off ferries published after the MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster; and what, if any, safety derogations they will be given.

baroness sugg: Specific vessel arrangements are a matter for operators. All vessels must comply with all regulatory requirements that apply to them.

Railway Stations: EU Law

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government what derogations from EU legislation the UK has in respect of the heights of platforms at UK railway stations.

baroness sugg: The EU Infrastructure Technical Specification for Interoperability contains an exemption allowing new or upgraded UK railway station platforms to be built to a nominal height of 915mm.

Airports: Unmanned Air Vehicles

lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce urgent legislation to immediately implement a five-kilometre drone exclusion zone as proposed by the British Airline Pilots Association for all commercial and military airports; if so, when; and if not, why not.

baroness sugg: As set out in my recent Statement [7 January 2019 vol 794] on the Government’s response to our recent consultation Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK, we will be taking forward several measures to ensure that passengers have confidence that their journeys will not be disrupted by drones, that aircraft can safely use our key transport hubs and that criminals misusing drones can be brought to justice. Although any restriction zone would not have prevented a deliberate incident such as that seen recently at Gatwick, we want to ensure that proportionate measures are in place at airports to protect aircraft and avoid potential conflict with legitimate drone activity. We will therefore introduce additional protections around airports, with a particular focus on protected exclusion zones 5km from runway ends at a width of 1km, alongside increasing the current restrictions to the extent of existing Aerodrome Traffic Zones (ATZ) around airports. Drone pilots wishing to fly within these zones must only do so with permission from the aerodrome air traffic control. The Department for Transport will amend the Air Navigation Order 2016 to implement these changes.

Channel Ferries: Government Assistance

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter sent by the President of Getlink to the Secretary of State for Transport on 2 January, whether (1) the provision of £103 million to ferry operators for the provision of additional cross-Channel freight capacity breaches the concession agreement with Eurotunnel, and (2) they conducted an assessment of the impact on obligations under competition and state aid law.

baroness sugg: In the Government's view, the contracts do not breach the concession agreement with Eurotunnel. Obligations under competition and state aid law were taken into account as part of the contractual process.

Railways: Franchises

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the rail franchise bidding process and franchise specification to require bidders for a franchise to assess the scope for utilising unused capacity at certain times of day on passenger services for the carriage of lower volume and higher value freight.

baroness sugg: The Government is committed to transporting more goods by rail and we support the carriage of goods on passenger trains. Our Rail Freight Strategy, published in September 2016, identified the opportunity for the use of space on passenger rail services to transport goods. The Department for Transport’s freight and franchising teams are working closely to ensure that current and future freight flows are properly considered as part of the franchise design process. We encourage passenger operators to explore innovative ways to exploit the carriage of goods on passenger services, and would be supportive of proposals to do so in the bidding process.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Cars: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help boost growth in the UK car industry.

lord henley: The automotive sector is one of the great industrial success stories of our country with one of the highest productivity levels in Europe amongst the major automotive producing nations. The automotive Sector Deal announced last year will ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive manufacturing. This includes a commitment of £246m to develop and scale-up world leading battery technology for electrified vehicles and a commitment of £1bn over 10 years to the Advanced Propulsion Centre to research and develop the next generation of low carbon technology to keep the sector at the cutting edge of innovation. Since it was announced in July 2013, APC has awarded 44 collaborative R&D projects worth £770 million backed with £368 million from Government. We are also committed to investing over £250 million in public funding up to 2021/22, matched by industry, into R&D and testing infrastructure to accelerate the development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies and anchor them in the UK.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Forced Marriage

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will cease repatriation charges for women and girls escaping forced marriage abroad.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they willpublish information on their policy of charging women and girls the costs of being repatriated to the UK to escape forced marriage abroad.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much debt each of the victims of forced marriage repatriated in 2016–17 has outstanding to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will return the passports to women and girls who have outstanding debts to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office after being repatriated to escape forced marriage.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is a world-leader in the fight to tackle the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) which leads efforts to combat it both at home and abroad. After careful consideration, the Foreign Secretary has decided that victims of forced marriage who are helped to return to the UK by the Forced Marriage Unit will no longer be asked to take out a loan for their repatriation costs. From now on, none of those who are assisted by the Forced Marriage Unit - and would previously have been offered a loan - will have to cover the costs of their repatriation. Where possible, the Government will continue to seek to ensure the costs fall on the perpetrators by means of Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs). The Government has also agreed to ensure that those victims who have outstanding loans will have no further cost fall to them. We are in the process of contacting those victims to notify them of this change. Their passports will also be unblocked.The FMU provides support and advice for victims, those at risk, and professionals, through its public helpline. The support offered ranges from providing information and guidance to organising rescue and repatriation to the UK for victims overseas.

European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association

lord lea of crondall: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement, published on 20 December 2018, constitutes a treaty for the purposes of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As outlined in the Explainer for the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement, published on the 20 December 2018 on the gov.uk website, it will be subject to the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG).

North Korea: Sexual Offences

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK's Ambassador to North Korea has presented a copy of thereport by Human Rights Watch into sexual violence against women in North Korea You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why, published on 11 November 2018,to the authorities in Pyongyang; and, if so, whatwas the response.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK continues to have grave concerns over the human rights situation in North Korea. The Human Rights Watch report entitled ‘You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why’ is a stark reminder of the widespread sexual exploitation and violence against women in North Korea. The Government is committed to addressing all forms of violence against women and girls. We regularly raise human rights concerns with the DPRK authorities via our Ambassador in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London. The North Korean authorities have dismissed the report’s findings as a fabrication. We urge them to take the accounts seriously and take steps to investigate and address the abuses of power described.

China: Prisoners

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2018 (HL12218),when they intend to respond to the interim judgment of the Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As I said during the House of Lords Oral question on 10 January, my officials attended the final day of the recent tribunal into organ harvesting allegations, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC. We are aware of the preliminary findings and are awaiting the final outcome of the tribunal, which we will review as we do with all available evidence.​

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following the delay in the announcement of the results of the presidential election held on 30 December 2018.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We note the provisional results announced by the electoral commission (CENI) and are concerned about the disparities with the polling conducted by the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO). We join the President of the Africa Union Commission’s call for all parties to preserve peace and urge restraint. We continue to call for all sides to respect the electoral process. The UK believes that peaceful and credible democratic processes are vital to creating a prosperous Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).​The leader of the opposition in DRC, Martin Fayulu, has contested the results and filed an appeal in the constitutional court. As the Foreign Secretary said in a tweet on 14 January, due process must be respected on this legal challenge. This is a critical moment for DRC and the wider region.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish additional planning guidance to supplement the definition of affordable housing set out in the glossary of the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 24 July 2018, to ensure that it specifies affordable rent to buy.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Rent to buy is identified as a type of affordable housing in the revised National Planning Policy Framework. We intend to update planning guidance on affordable housing in due course.

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people sleeping rough in London from 21 December 2018 to 7 January 2019.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government is committed to halting rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.National street counts and intelligence driven estimates of people sleeping rough are conducted every autumn. The next publication will be released on 31 January 2019 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics#rough-sleepingThe Greater London Authority (GLA) also commission the CHAIN database which holds information on the number of people rough sleeping in London. This is published quarterly, and the next data release will be available on 31 January 2019 at: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many places in hostels in London were available for rough sleepers from 21 December 2018 to 7 January 2019; and what was their aggregate occupancy rate.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Central government does not commission hostel provision directly. This is done at the local or mayoral authority level. For this reason we do not hold data on the total number of hostel spaces available in London, nor their occupancy rate.However, the government does commission Homeless Link to conduct annual reviews on single homelessness support, which includes the number of hostel bed spaces (and void bed spaces) in the capital, and across the country. The latest of which is for 2017, and can be found (attached) at: https://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/annual-review-of-single-homelessness-support-in-england.This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.



Annual Review of single homelessness
(PDF Document, 865.14 KB)

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many places are available in hostels in London for rough sleepers accompanied by a dog or dogs.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Central government does not commission hostel provision directly. This is done at the local or mayoral authority level. For this reason we do not hold data on the total number of hostel spaces available in London, nor specific data on those rough sleepers with dogs.However, the government does commission Homeless Link to conduct annual reviews on single homelessness support, which includes the number of hostel bed spaces (and void bed spaces) in the capital, and across the country. The latest of which is for 2017 and can be found (attached) at: https://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/annual-review-of-single-homelessness-support-in-england.We appreciate that those rough sleeping with dogs have specific needs and do fund, through the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) and other programmes provision that accounts for this. For example, the new St Mungo’s RSI hostel in Bristol takes clients with dogs, as does emergency accommodation in St Edmundsbury and Nottingham. The RSI funded floating London hub – that moves between boroughs and is currently in Westminster – also accepts dogs into their service. Moreover, as a result of RSI funding, Birmingham has linked closely with Dogs On the Streets (DOTS). This organisation has significantly helped in working with entrenched rough sleepers who have dogs and other pets. As with the complex needs of any rough sleeper, we try and ensure someone having a dog, or any pet, is not a barrier to them getting the help they require.This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.



Annual Review
(PDF Document, 865.14 KB)

Ministry of Defence

Civil Disorder

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to deploy armed forces to deal with civil disturbances after Brexit.

earl howe: It is the responsibility of the police to manage public order. There are no plans to deploy Armed Forces personnel to deal with civil disturbances after Brexit. Defence remains closely engaged on contingency planning for a No Deal Brexit and has developed a plan to make around 3,500 Service personnel available to support the civil authorities if necessary.

Army: Recruitment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the National Audit OfficeInvestigation into the British Army Recruiting Partnering Project, published on 14 December 2018,why they did not test the proposed changes to their recruitment approach for army recruitment prior to the introduction of the partnering agreement with Capita Business Services.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the National Audit Office Investigation into the British Army Recruiting Partnering Project, published on 14 December 2018,why the British army did not simplify its recruitment process before introducing the Capita online army recruitment system.

earl howe: At the outset of the contract the Army and Capita failed to understand the complexity of the Army recruitment requirement and the challenges faced. These were compounded by the delays in developing the new information technology to support the processes.The Army and Capita are implementing a range of policy and process changes to increase enlistments to the Army. These have been informed by lessons learned and are, where appropriate, being piloted prior to full introduction. The improvements include changes to simplify and streamline the process.

Army: Recruitment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the report by the National Audit Office Investigation into the British Army Recruiting Partnering Project, published on 14 December 2018, whether the British army has completed its assessment into whether it can adapt the Capita online army recruitment system for its own use after the Capita contract ends in 2022.

earl howe: The Future Recruiting Programme (FRP) is considering the best approach to Armed Forces recruiting for when the current contract expires. The Ministry of Defence has secured, under the contract with Capita, the rights to use, modify or copy the Defence Recruiting System at the end of the current contract, or we could decide to source a new on-line system. As part of the FRP an early scoping project has been initiated to look at the future ICT provision, no conclusions or decisions have yet been made.

Army: Recruitment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the National Audit Office Investigation into the British Army Recruiting Partnering Project, published on 14 December 2018,what action they are taking to improve contract (1) letting, and (2) management.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually seeks to improve its commercial award and management processes. We have established a comprehensive training and education programme under the Commercial Professionalism Programme, which is supported by a robust accreditation process.Improving skills and capability will achieve better commercial delivery, which will continue to be measured against the Government commercial operating standards.More broadly, contract letting and contract management activities have also been looked at as part of the Government's work to build a new model for delivering outsourced services. The MOD has been actively engaged in this work.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Prices

lord hayward: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with supermarket retailers about the pricing of wrapped and unwrapped fruits and vegetables.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government regularly engages with stakeholders and organisations in the retail sector directly, through Trade Associations and the Food and Drink Sector Council. This includes discussing current issues, gaining the industry viewpoint and providing policy updates.The Government is also working with retailers and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to encourage their efforts to reduce waste and to explore the introduction of plastic-free supermarket initiatives in which fresh food is sold loose, giving consumers increased choice.The Government does not have any role in setting food prices nor does it comment on the pricing policies of the food industry. We work closely with industry to promote transparency for consumers and internationally to promote open global markets. This all helps to create a competitive domestic market for UK consumers.Food prices, including fruits and vegetables, depend on a range of factors, including commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices.

Ramsgate Port: Dredging

baroness young of old scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an environmental impact assessment of the current dredging ofthe channel at the Port of Ramsgate;if so, whether, and when, the Environment Agency evaluated and accepted that impact assessment; andwhen approval was givenfor the dredgingtobegin.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Agency was consulted by the Marine Management Organisation on the application from Ramsgate Royal Harbour for the current dredging project at the Port of Ramsgate, on the 10 December 2015. The application included an environmental impact assessment and the Environment Agency submitted comments on the 22 December 2015. The Environment Agency accepted the proposal with the condition that material deposited within European Union bathing waters is only deposited outside the European Union bathing season. The dredging activity does not put at risk the Water Framework Directive, therefore there is not a significant risk to the environment. Permission was given for the activity by the Marine Management Organisation on the 29 March 2016.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Cybercrime

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to promote UK–EU cooperation on cybersecurity after the UK leaves the EU, including compliance with the proposed establishment of European cybersecurity certification schemes.

lord ashton of hyde: We remain committed to working with our European and International partners to help shape cyber security measures, which is in the interests of our wider collective security. This is clearly outlined in the 'Political Declaration', which sets out a vision for close relationship in cyber security, including through participation of certain activities of ENISA, the EU Cybersecurity Agency and the NIS Cooperation Group. The EU 'Cybersecurity Act', which sets out a framework for the development of EU wide cyber security certification schemes reached political agreement in December and we will be working with the EU to consider the future implications for this legislation as part of this close relationship. The UK will continue to apply international cyber security standards, which the EU 'Cybersecurity Act' promotes the use of, because these are in the interests of better cyber security and are important to avoid market fragmentation globally.

Cybercrime

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they plan to include in their forthcoming Online Harms white paper to mitigate against the risks of new types of harms such as (1) stolen data, (2) invasion of privacy and (3) interdependence of cyber and physical risks that could arise from increased use of Internet of Things technologies.

lord ashton of hyde: The Online Harms White Paper will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle a range of online harms. The Government takes both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. The Data Protection Act 2018 makes our data protection laws fit for the digital age and empowers people to take control of their data. The Government has recently published a Code of Practice for Consumer Internet of Things Security, which outlines thirteen guidelines that manufacturers should follow to keep consumers safe. DCMS will be working to drive implementation of this Code throughout 2019.The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport held a round table, to which Peers were invited, on 15th January 2019 to seek views on the scope of the forthcoming White Paper.

Gambling: Internet

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Children’s Commissionerabout mystery boxes in online games; and whether those boxes encourage online gambling by children.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action, if any, they intend to take to prohibit the use of mystery boxes in online games.

lord ashton of hyde: Mystery boxes in video games, also known as loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes could encourage gambling-like behaviour and longer term lead to gambling related harm, especially amongst children, and will continue to look closely at any evidence around this issue. In September 2018, 16 regulators from Europe and the USA, including the Gambling Commission signed a declaration which outlined common concerns around gaming and gambling. The regulators agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. We welcomed the introduction last year by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-games purchases such as loot boxes. Microtransactions in games—including loot boxes—are further subject to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 which protect against misleading or aggressive marketing. DCMS is working closely with the games industry, agencies such as the Video Standards Council (VSC) and others to improve online safety in games, including promoting healthy and responsible gaming. To better understand the relationship between social media and the mental health of children and young people up to 25 years old, the Chief Medical Officer will be leading a systematic review to examine all relevant international research in the area.